Handyman reader Damien Ryan’s girlfriend gave him the difficult task of building her a 10-seater dining table in time for Christmas.
He didn’t make the deadline but did deliver a beautiful piece of furniture for future family gatherings.
After consulting with his uncle, who is a cabinet-maker, Damien decided on a design. He then tried to source reclaimed oak but had to settle for a different kind of timber.
‘In the end, I went with recycled blackbutt. I’m glad I did, as it was half the price and I surprised myself with the end result,’ he says.
Transporting the 200kg of timber back home turned out to be a tricky task and resulted in a permanent bend in the roof rack of the car.
Damien used old power poles to make the table legs and filled any holes or cracks with resin.
Neighbours pitched in to help him with all the heavy lifting and a removable top made it possible to carry the oiled and waxed table inside once it was completed.
The tabletop was made of recycled boards that were edge-laminated
